Chris Latham catches bad break with twins

Chris Latham looked like he got punched in the mouth. But he felt like he got slugged in the gut.

The Basic High graduate suffered a double whammy Monday. Not only was he forced to undergo surgery to remove a cyst from the inside of his lower lip, but he also was demoted to the Salt Lake Buzz by the Minnesota Twins.

The only consolation for Latham was the timing of the blow. It was the second time the speedy, switch-hitting outfielder was sent down by the Twins this season, and it was the second time it coincided with the Buzz immediately visiting Cashman Field.

"It's always good to come home, but I think Vegas is bad luck for me," Latham mumbled before the Buzz beat the Stars 11-4 at Cashman Field Wednesday night. With four stitches in his mouth, he resembled a dental patient on Novocain.

"If we could take Vegas out of Salt Lake's schedule, I might stay up (in Minnesota) a little longer."

Latham, 25, was the odd man out when the Twins recently experienced a rash of dead arms on their pitching staff. A number of bad outings by their starters led to a tired bullpen. When management opted to add another pitcher to the roster to cushion the damage, Latham became expendable.

"It's a little bit irritating," said Latham, whose contract runs through this season. "They are so many games out of it, they should go ahead and see what the youth movement can do. It's not like they're going to win the pennant."

Minnesota is 52-66, 14 games behind Cleveland in the American League's Central Division.

Latham's first stint with the Twins this year wasn't productive. He hit .114 with two RBIs in 16 games. His most recent stay lasted only nine days. He played in five games but did not see much action, going 0-for-6.

The Twins front office said it "will call me back up in September," Latham added, "but I don't believe everything they say."

"They said the last time they called me up it would be for the rest of the year, but I went back down a week after being up there."

Latham's disappointment, however, is not close to becoming disenchantment. He often reminds himself of advice given to him by veteran Twins outfielder Otis Nixon, who recommended Latham concentrate on getting as much playing time as possible.

With Salt Lake, Latham is batting .303 with six home runs, 38 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 72 games. He went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base Tuesday against the Stars, but did not play Wednesday.

"I need to be in there every day," Latham said. "If I'm going to fill the role of a fourth outfielder in the major leagues, I have to get adjusted to it. Coming from (triple-A), where I'm an everyday player, it's hard to keep my mind on the game."

Back home until Friday, Latham is trying to make the most of his demotion. He has been enjoying time with wife Sarah, who is 1 1/2 months pregnant, and son Christopher in their northwest Las Vegas home. His parents, younger sister and several cousins also live in the valley.

Instant access to such personal support at a critical professional juncture -- twice -- has been invaluable.

"If I'm going to go down, I'd rather come right here," Latham said.

"It's always good to feel their love. They all come to the games and tell me 'Keep your head up. Keep working your butt off. The Good Lord has a plan for you.'"

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